Castillo de San Marco in St. Augustine

Thursday, January 24, 2013

We took a drive over to St. Augustine this weekend with the intention of doing a little thrifting and enjoying a picnic at this fantastic wooden park there. Every time we find ourselves in the old city Little Guy asks to run on the grass near the fort, so Hubby decided we'd picnic on the grounds of the Castillo de San Marco instead.

St. Augustine is by far, one of my favorite cities. Strolling along the streets, you can actually feel the history. We hadn't been to the fort (as we call it) in a few years, though we'd walked past numerous times. With the holiday weekend, the streets were full of people, taking in the sights so we knew the fort might be overwhelming. Our intentions were to picnic on the grass and take a walk around outside, but as we passed the front of the fort, a ranger invited us in free of charge in honor of Martin Luther King day (apparently all Florida State Parks are free on some holidays). How could we pass that up?

The Rangers offered all the children a chance to earn a Junior Ranger badge and patch by answering questions in a complimentary workbook during their tour of the fort. Little Guy was all over that! He didn't even want to see anything until he completed the questions and earned his badge and certificate! It was a really great way to get kids interested in the history.

It turned out to be a fantastic day. The fort wasn't as crowded as it appeared, the weather was beautiful, and we had a lovely picnic. And Little Guy frolicked on the grass to his heart's delight until he wore himself out completely.